Malian singer Inna Modja, a victim of Female Genital Mutilation, has urged the world to eliminate the practice.

She made the call for global action during a recent performance in New York to mark the International Day for Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation.

“As an African woman I went through Female Genital Mutilation. I know what it is and I know how harmful it is. And I want to protect those younger girls and those generations coming, because FGM has to end,” Modja said.

The Malian diva managed to regain self-esteem after reconstructive surgery.
“Getting repaired, via reconstructive surgery by Professor Pierre Foldes, also helped me to heal. It helped me to heal physically and psychologically, and somehow it repaired me. But when you say repair, there is always a scar.

It’s like when you break a glass and glue it back together. There are always break lines, and my excisions are my break lines,” she said.

UN Secretary General, Ban Ki Moon has maintained that sensitisation is key to stopping the practice of FGM.

“Let us shift the focus away from mutilation to education. Let us create a world where FGM stands for Focus on Girls’ Minds. How about this: FGM stands for Focus on Girls Minds,” he said.

According to UNICEF, more than 200 million girls and women have been victims of genital mutilation.

Somalia is the country with the highest rate of FGM in the world. Statistics indicate that about 98 percent of women in that country have gone through the process.

The UN hopes to eliminate female genital mutilation by 2030.

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